Latest news with #RichardChartrand
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
States of emergency, agricultural disaster declared in parts of drought-stricken Manitoba
The extremely dry conditions in Manitoba, which have led to multiple wildfires in the north, are now pushing other areas toward an agricultural calamity. The rural municipality of St. Laurent has declared a state of emergency, while the RM of Coldwell has declared a state of agricultural disaster. "In the RM of Coldwell, there's a huge cattle industry, and right now … I would say that on average, the hay's maybe 25 per cent of what they got last year, which is not very good," said Reeve Virgil Johnson. "Everybody's hoping for rain, but we didn't get any — nothing that's really measurable." Many farmers use irrigation systems, relying heavily on dugouts with stored water, "but the dugouts are drying up," Johnson said. The situation is the same in St. Laurent, which is just south of Coldwell. They're both on the west side of Manitoba's Interlake region, up against Lake Manitoba. "We have had many farmers contact us. Their hay is dry and they need help," said St. Laurent Reeve Richard Chartrand. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said as of June 30, the Interlake is in a severe drought situation. Johnson was in touch with Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn a couple of weeks ago, but since then, "it's gotten worse." That prompted a meeting among administrators in the region and an agreement to publicly declare the urgent situations. "We're hoping with everybody doing that, it goes back to the government, and hopefully they can put out some programs for us and help the producers here in a meaningful way, whether that's with feed or freight," Johnson said. "Once they see how many people are actually in trouble in the farming industry in the area — up and down No. 6 highway, it's pretty dry, and surrounding areas as well — hopefully … it does put pressure on them." In a written statement to Radio-Canada and CBC, a spokesperson for Manitoba Agriculture said the province is in discussions with several farmers and municipal officials in the Interlake region. "While we are closely monitoring the situation, we will continue to work with producers to help them address business challenges, including through existing business risk management programs. We remain committed to supporting farms in the Interlake region and across Manitoba," the statement said. Loni Jack, co-owner of Clegr Farms in Lake Francis, just south of the RM of St. Laurent, estimates she'll get barely a third of the canola she had planned to harvest. The same goes for wheat. "We were able to plant our fields, but it hasn't rained, so the crops aren't growing well at all," she said. "It's positive to have planted them, but if they don't grow, we won't make any money." To people passing by the farms while driving along the highway, some crops might look good, but they're not, Johnson said. "The heads just aren't filling out that well," he said, referring to the seed-bearing part of a crop, where the grains develop. Without anything for cattle herds to eat, producers must transport their animals from pasture to pasture, "and it's a big chore," Johnson said.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
States of emergency, agricultural disaster declared in parts of drought-stricken Manitoba
Social Sharing The extremely dry conditions in Manitoba, which have led to multiple wildfires in the north, are now pushing other areas toward an agricultural calamity. The rural municipality of St. Laurent has declared a state of emergency, while the RM of Coldwell has declared a state of agricultural disaster. "In the RM of Coldwell, there's a huge cattle industry, and right now … I would say that on average, the hay's maybe 25 per cent of what they got last year, which is not very good," said Reeve Virgil Johnson. "Everybody's hoping for rain, but we didn't get any — nothing that's really measurable." Many farmers use irrigation systems, relying heavily on dugouts with stored water, "but the dugouts are drying up," Johnson said. The situation is the same in St. Laurent, which is just south of Coldwell. They're both on the west side of Manitoba's Interlake region, up against Lake Manitoba. "We have had many farmers contact us. Their hay is dry and they need help," said St. Laurent Reeve Richard Chartrand. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said as of June 30, the Interlake is in a severe drought situation. Johnson was in touch with Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn a couple of weeks ago, but since then, "it's gotten worse." That prompted a meeting among administrators in the region and an agreement to publicly declare the urgent situations. "We're hoping with everybody doing that, it goes back to the government, and hopefully they can put out some programs for us and help the producers here in a meaningful way, whether that's with feed or freight," Johnson said. "Once they see how many people are actually in trouble in the farming industry in the area — up and down No. 6 highway, it's pretty dry, and surrounding areas as well — hopefully … it does put pressure on them." In a written statement to Radio-Canada and CBC, a spokesperson for Manitoba Agriculture said the province is in discussions with several farmers and municipal officials in the Interlake region. "While we are closely monitoring the situation, we will continue to work with producers to help them address business challenges, including through existing business risk management programs. We remain committed to supporting farms in the Interlake region and across Manitoba," the statement said. Loni Jack, co-owner of Clegr Farms in Lake Francis, just south of the RM of St. Laurent, estimates she'll get barely a third of the canola she had planned to harvest. The same goes for wheat. "We were able to plant our fields, but it hasn't rained, so the crops aren't growing well at all," she said. "It's positive to have planted them, but if they don't grow, we won't make any money." To people passing by the farms while driving along the highway, some crops might look good, but they're not, Johnson said. "The heads just aren't filling out that well," he said, referring to the seed-bearing part of a crop, where the grains develop. Without anything for cattle herds to eat, producers must transport their animals from pasture to pasture, "and it's a big chore," Johnson said.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘We need to connect this province': Spotty cell service impacting rural Manitoba fire department
A rural fire department is sounding the alarm over spotty cell service it warns is impacting its ability to respond to emergencies. Roger Gillis, a training officer with the St. Laurent Fire Department, said he's been hearing from residents concerned about the poor reception in the area. 'They live in constant fear that they won't be able to make that 911 call when they have to,' he told CTV News. Gillis said there are massive 'dead spots' in the community and along Highway 6 where there is no service at all. He said in the rest of the area, the service is intermittent at best. All this is impacting his fire department's ability to receive and respond to calls. 'When our cell phone service is intermittent, sometimes we don't get the calls,' he said. 'We'll have members that miss calls totally and say they never got any communication at all.' The area reeve, Richard Chartrand, said residents are getting frustrated with ongoing issues. 'They would like to see somebody do something, and that's what we're trying to do,' he said. There are two cell towers that service the community. Chartrand said the RM is working with an Ontario-based company, SLI, which builds cell towers and leases them to telecom companies. 'They keep saying that they're trying to deal with the issue, but they seem to be hitting roadblocks as well,' Chartrand told CTV News. He said SLI has the land ready to go to build the new towers, but so far, no telecom companies will agree to lease them. Chartrand said the situation has left residents feeling like their concerns are going unanswered – both literally and figuratively. These issues aren't unique to St. Laurent. 'The lack of connectivity throughout the province is a real public safety issue,' said Kathy Valentino, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. Valentino, a city councillor in Thompson, said she knows firsthand how unreliable cell service can be in rural and northern areas of the province. She said the association has been calling for the provincial government to do a comprehensive connectivity strategy to see where exactly the gaps exist. This information could then be brought to the CRTC. 'We need to connect this province. It's time.' Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Ian said the province is advocating for action from the federal government. 'We want to be able to have that discussion as to how we can encourage, how we can incentivize, and how we can really bring the telecom companies to the table with the Feds as well,' he said.
